The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day … Genesis 48.15
As I read into chapter 48 of Genesis this week, I could not keep from hearing a song playing in my head … All my life You have been faithful, all my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God. I love you, Lord …
For a person who carries her tunes in a bucket, it is rare for a song to be on repeat in my head. But this, this anthem to the sweet and exceedingly faithful goodness of the Lord, is a welcome and so undeserved blessing.
In Genesis 48, Jacob (Joseph’s father) is offering a blessing over Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. His first words however are of who God is. The God of his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. The Shepherd of his own life, all of his life, to the very day Jacob speaks of his nearing death.
I find comfort and encouragement in hearing Jacob declare the shepherding of his life by God given how “in his flesh” Jacob has responded to the ups and downs in his life which we’ve been learning about as we read Genesis. But I also sense some remorse for the wasted years of self-focus, self-importance – in Jacob’s life and in my own.
Yet no truer words could be said of Jacob’s God and mine – the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day. Even when I didn’t know Him, He was orchestrating the circumstances of my life so that He would be revealed as my Shepherd.
Pastor Lincoln asked us (in our God Meant It for Good workbook, p. 66) What do you think is involved in God being your shepherd? I find three verses from the Psalms help me answer this question.
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
God my Shepherd is near. He is enough, sufficient. He protects, guards, guides, leads. He knows best. He provides what I need including rest, refreshment, restoration.
. . . All my life You have been faithful, all my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God. I love you, Lord . . .
Trusting with you that God’s goodness envelopes and holds you near because He means it for your good and His glory.
Blessings, Colleen